Since our founding in 1893, St. Margaret’s Church has stood as a witness to the Gospel of Christ.
We proclaim the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, as taught by Holy Scripture and received by the Christian tradition.
Biblical.
We believe the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and seek to conform our life and doctrine to what it teaches. In our normal Sunday service, we read four different passages of Scripture—one from the Old Testament, one from the Book of Psalms, one from the New Testament, and one from one of the Gospels; and our sermons are expository, focusing on Scripture.
Evangelistic.
We believe that we are saved not by works but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that it is by his death and resurrection that we are justified. We take seriously his commission to make disciples according to this faith and preach the importance of a personal relationship with Christ.
Sacramental.
We believe that Christ instituted Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in order to meet us with his grace on our level, as embodied human beings. In Baptism, he initiates us into the Christian life, and in Holy Communion, he strengthens and sustains us along the way. For this reason, our worship centers around the Lord’s Supper, as we follow his command, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”
A parish of the Anglican Communion
St. Margaret’s is one of the 81 churches in the Diocese of Central Florida, which is a Communion Partner Diocese of The Episcopal Church under Bishop Justin Holcomb. The Communion Partners stand as a witness within The Episcopal Church to orthodox theology, in continuity with traditional Christian doctrine, seeking to promote our unity with Anglicans across the world.
As a member of the Anglican Communion, our parish is a part of the third largest body of Christians in the world. We are proud to be a part of this global movement of 80 million Christians across 160 countries, who are in communion with the historic see of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and tracing our heritage through the Church of England. So our church is a part of the American expression of Anglicanism and holds to to traditional Christian beliefs as received by the Anglican tradition.
Diocese of Central Florida: https://cfdiocese.org
Communion Partners: https://communionpartners.org
The Anglican Communion: https://www.anglicancommunion.org
At St. Margaret’s we seek to embody the four Marks of the Church as defined by the Nicene Creed:
One.
We profess that the Church is One, that despite the differences between Christian churches, we have been united in baptism in one Body of Christ. We strive for doctrine and worship that will promote unity amongst Christians by hearkening back to our shared heritage in the early Church, seeking “unity in the essentials, liberty in the nonessentials, and in all things, love.”
Holy.
We profess that the Church is Holy, because it has been washed clean by the Blood of Christ and because it has been set apart to be his bride. We strive for holiness in our own lives, not to earn God’s favor, but to return thanks for the salvation he grants us by faith in Jesus Christ.
Catholic.
We profess that the Church is Catholic, which is to say, Universal, because in it, God has brought together people from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue. We see the catholic tradition as a gift, and using the Book of Common Prayer, we unite our worship with the Christians of the past, but always prioritizing the primacy of Scripture. We are a member of the Anglican Communion, the third-largest body of Christians in the world.
Apostolic.
We profess that the Church is Apostolic, which means that our faith, worship, and leadership are in continuity with that of the faith Christ handed down to his Apostles. Our clergy can trace their ordination through the laying on of hands directly back to one of the Apostles in what is called the Apostolic Succession.